Kaiser Poll: Public Followed Ebola More Than Midterm Elections

The American public followed the story of the Ebola virus outbreak more closely than the recent midterm elections, according to a recent poll.

Almost 80 percent of Americans told the Kaiser Family Foundation that they were either "very closely" or "fairly closely" following the Ebola virus in the United States. Almost the same percentage said they were also following the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, in a poll conducted Nov. 5-13 of 1,501 adults.

By comparison, 64 percent of Americans said they followed the midterm elections, which took place in early November, either "very" or "fairly" closely.

"Public attention may have been driven by fear that Ebola would spread in the U.S., the Ebola media frenzy, the gripping human-interest stories, or a combination of all of these," wrote Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, for The Wall Street Journal.

"Of course, it's possible that the general public was somewhat disinterested in the midterms," which Altman said "would be consistent with the traditional dynamics of midterms."

Another story that caught Americans' attention was the conflict with the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, which seven-in-10 American adults said they were following either "very" or "fairly" closely.

Only 27 percent said they were following Major League Baseball's World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals.

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